Pentax Optio S5i review

What a great camera! I owned an Optio S (3MP) and gave that to a family member and bought this gem. It is small and compact and takes great images! Yes, the autofocus may require a recomposure to get the pix (the focus brackets turn green with a locked focus). The lens at wide open aperture is a little soft in the corners but you can compensate for this by either zooming out the lens or set the "mode" on landscape which uses a smaller f/stop. Softness disappears at f/4.3 or smaller- much testing done to come to that conclusion. This is a rugged little camera that fits in an Altoid tin (world's best camera case!) and I take it everywhere- including my wedding reception with pix good enough (full frame) to be included in my wedding album (that I never would have gotten if I couldn't have slipped it in my tux pocket!). I have decided NOT to buy a digital SLR because this camera is so convenient to take with me- why lug around a bulky SLR and external flash? The night mode (4 seconds max. exposure) is great and you can add flash for dramatic pictures. The little flash does a great job of daytime fill in- I am thoroughly impressed with this camera. I may upgrade to the S6 in the near future. This camera certainly makes the point that if you can't slip it in your pocket, you probably won't take it.

Problems:

Lens is a bit soft in the corners at wide open aperture, correctable (see above) but many cameras have this if you look close.